Indiana chosen for federal Medicaid mental health program
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Indiana this month was one of 10 states selected to participate in a federal Medicaid program to improve access to mental health care.
The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program requires participants to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and addiction services to people regardless of their diagnosis, insurance status, place of residence or age.
“Indiana has already made great strides in increasing access to crisis care for Hoosiers,” Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Dan Rusyniak said in a news release. “The move toward a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model will further increase access to quality behavioral health care across Indiana.”
The Legislature in 2023 allowed the state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) to apply to the federal program and provided $100 million over two years to improve the state’s mental health care system. The state selected eight health clinics for the pilot sites and over the next several months will work with each to ensure they meet the federal criteria and are ready to begin offering services early next year.
“The opportunity to participate in the demonstration is the culmination of intensive collaboration and partnership across all three branches of government and with the entire treatment and advocacy community,” DMHA Director Jay Chaudhary said in the release. “This collaboration will continue as we build the behavioral health system that Hoosiers deserve.”
The clinics will serve more than 40 Indiana counties, including Marion, St. Joseph and Elkhart. Clinic criteria include the following:
- Ensures access to high quality behavioral health care, including 24/7 crisis response.
- Provides routine outpatient care within 10 business days.
- Meets strict guidelines regarding access, quality reporting, staffing, and coordination with social services, justice, and education systems.
The other states joining the program in June were Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They join eight states already in the program: Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Oregon.
The federal government provides financial assistance to states participating in the program and Medicaid reimbursement for services rendered.